Huawei Shipped Over 20M Android Flagships Since Late 2017 - IFA 2018

Huawei shipped over 20 million Android flagships since late 2017, the company said during its IFA 2018 conference held earlier today. The Mate 10 lineup introduced last year surpassed ten million shipments, with the more recently launched P20 series hitting the same milestone after only five months, according to Huawei's internal figures. While the company didn't clarify how many of those shipments actually amounted to end-customer sales, its sell-through numbers are believed to be in line with the rest of the industry.

Huawei Chief Executive Officer Richard Yu revealed the new milestone shortly after the Chinese technology giant confirmed its next Android flagship will be introduced in mid-October, in addition to unveiling the system-on-chip meant to power it in the form of the Kirin 980 manufactured by its subsidiary HiSilicon. The world's most powerful mobile chip will be fueling the Mate 20 family and is widely expected to debut a number of industry firsts in the artificial intelligence field, being equipped with two neural processing units dedicated to on-device AI computing. While Huawei has been one of the largest handset vendors on the planet for over half a decade now, its past success was mostly driven by its entry-level and mid-range devices, whereas the company is now placing a larger focus on high-end products such as its Mate and P lineups.

That strategy is still inhibited by the fact that Huawei has been consistently denied entry to the world's largest flagship market - the United States. With Washington still claiming the firm poses a national security threat due to its close ties to Beijing, Huawei remains unable to strike a stateside carrier partnership that would bring its products into the hands of millions, providing it with a significant foothold in the country. The Mate 20 series may consequently only be available unlocked from Amazon in the U.S., though not even that scenario is a given due to Huawei's issues in the country. The company's choice of London as its next flagship launch venue is also yet another indication that the tech giant's foreign ambitions are now largely centered on Europe where it's been outselling everyone but Samsung in recent times.

Dominik started at AndroidHeadlines in 2016 and is the Head Editor of the site today. He’s approaching his first full decade in the media industry, with his background being primarily in technology, gaming, and entertainment. These days, his focus is more on the political side of the tech game, as well as data privacy issues, with him looking at both of those through the prism of Android. Contact him at [email protected]